


Two Sides of the Sun

by Isabelle6655



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Multi, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Shy Draco Malfoy, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-26
Updated: 2019-05-26
Packaged: 2020-03-17 15:58:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18968506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Isabelle6655/pseuds/Isabelle6655
Summary: "The war is over, but we're just beginning." Hogwarts is rebuilt, the term has started, and Harry Potter is back to, begrudgingly, finish his wizarding education. But he's not the only one. A small group of eighth years joins him including-Draco Malfoy. Tension is high, but it's somehow...different.Harry's just trying to have a normal year-but when the new Hogwarts professors start getting antsy, he knows somethings up. He doesn't want to get involved, but being Harry Potter, there's really nothing that doesn't involve him."Seriously! Not again!"





	Two Sides of the Sun

**Author's Note:**

> This is my wonderful friends work, she sadly cant post it anywhere so thats where I come in! Any comments will be passed onto her and vise versa. Please enjoy her first published fic and have a good day!

Chapter 1

The Eighth Year

  


Harry was one of the only eighth years coming back to finish at Hogwarts. He hadn't exactly wanted to, but Hermione was determined to finally have a normal year, and she didn't want to be apart. Consequently, Ron was coming back too.

 “We’ve already come this far,” she had argued when the letters inviting them to return arrived at the Burrow. “It only makes sense that we should finish this, together.”

 Harry and Ron had reluctantly agreed. Honestly, Harry was getting sick of being cooped up at the house. He loved the Weasleys, he really did, but...well, it wasn't really home to him. Not the way Hogwarts was. Even if his memory of the school was tainted by what had transpired there, it still felt like the only place he truly belonged.  

 It also didn't help that he'd broken up with Ginny halfway through the summer. Something during the war had changed him- he still loved Ginny, but not in the way she wanted him too, or even in the way he used to before. She hadn't exactly taken the break up in a good way- refused to come out of her room for weeks. The Wesley's tried to act as if nothing had changed, but from then on the atmosphere of the house was extremely awkward.

 Ginny was returning for seventh year as well, so the ride on the Hogwarts Express was filled with general animosity. They traveled in tense silence for a couple dozen miles before Ginny stood up abruptly, her fiery gaze fixed on Harry, and left without a word.

 Harry tried not to breathe an audible sigh of relief. It was already hard enough to be returning to school after all that happened, and Ginny wasn't making him feel any better by glaring daggers at him. It wasn't his fault he just...didn't see her that way anymore. He wasn't entirely sure he ever did. She had been a great girlfriend, but Harry wasn't exactly the best boyfriend.

 Hermione moved to follow, but was stopped by Ron's hand on her knee. “Let her go ‘Mione. She not really heartbroken.”

 Harry leaned forward. “How do you mean?”

 “I mean,” Ron said, unwrapping a peppermint toad, “she told me the other day she was planning to break up with you, she's just mad you beat her to the punch.”

 “Oh, well that's a relief.” And it really was. He didn't want Ginny to be bitter with him forever.

 “Yeah, apparently she'd been planning it for weeks-she's been sending letters almost every day to Merlin knows who.” Ron picked up a box of Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans and prised it open. “She’ll stop being mad in a few days probably.”

 Harry leaned against the window. “You have no idea who she's been writing to?”

 Here, Hermione spoke. “She got quite a few letters from Luna, but she wouldn't let me read them.”

 “Is Luna coming back this year?” Ron asked, spitting out a bean.

 “As a matter of fact, yes, I am.” Said a voice at the door. Luna had slid open the compartment door, wearing her Spectrespecs. “Have any of you seen Ginny?”

 “Yeah she went the other way,” Harry said, standing up. “How're you Luna?”

 “Oh I'm just great Harry.” She smiled and lifted her glasses. “Ginny told me you broke up.”

 Harry blushed and rubbed his neck. “Er...yeah.”

 “It's alright Harry, I don’t mind. And Ginny doesn't either. Well, goodbye then.” She flipped her specs back into place and glided away after Ginny.

 They spent the rest of the train ride in pleasurable silence-Harry reassured that Ginny wasn't mad at him, Ron asleep, and Hermione nose deep in a book.

 

 It was dark when the Hogwarts express finally pulled into Hogsmeade station. Hermione nudged the boys awake and they exited the compartment, yawning. They saw Ginny and Luna a ways off, deep in conversation. Ginny was sporting her own pair of Spectrespecs and seemed to be giggling uncontrollably at whatever Luna was saying.

 “Firs’ years, follow me!” Came a bellowing voice.

 “Hagrid!” Harry's face broke into a smile as he saw the large figure ambling towards them with a lantern held aloft.

 “‘Ow’re ya Harry?!”

 “I'm managing. How're you?”

 “I'm alright for myself. Ron, Hermione.” He nodded his giant head at the two of them, and clapped a meaty hand on Harry's shoulder, nearly knocking him over.

 “How was your summer Hagrid?” Hermione asked, beaming up at the man.

 “I'll tell yer all about it later. I've gotta get these younguns up to the castle, mind you.” He gestured to the frightened looking crowd of first years behind him, sweeping a few of them off their feet. “Sorry bout that.” He reached forward to scoop them up, but they hurriedly stood by themselves.

 “See ya Hagrid!” Ron called as the hairy man ushered the kids away.

 The older students stood waiting for the carriages to arrive. When they finally came trundling down the path, a hush fell over the crowd. Thestrals, the huge, demonic horses that pulled the carriages, were now being seen for the first time by many of the students.

 “What are they?” Exclaimed a nervous second year. Harry walked forward and stroked the snout of one, and saw Luna introducing the horses to Ginny from the corner of his eye.

 “They won't hurt you,” he said, locking eyes with the second year boy. “You can only see them after you've witnessed death.”

 Harry tried not to look at the grim faces as people started climbing aboard. He hung back, as did Ron and Hermione. Finally, only one carriage remained, the one drawn by the thestral Harry still had his hand on. He looked up, and to his surprise, saw Draco Malfoy standing tentatively to the side, watching the demon horses. He looked drawn, and paler than usual. He’d cut his hair, too. Gone were the long strands that echoed his father's-he had shorn the sides and cut the top short, so it stuck up in odd angles that were definitely un-Malfoy-like.

 “Harry,” Hermione intoned softly from behind him. He turned and saw her incline her head towards the road. “We need to go.”

 Harry moved to the steps and pulled himself up into the carriage, Ron and Hermione behind him. They sat together on one side, Harry on the other. After a minute of tense silence, Malfoy climbed up beside them, taking the empty seat by Harry.

 The ride up to the castle was quiet, Ron dozing off on Hermione’s shoulder, and Malfoy staring pointedly into the trees.

 The approaching castle was a familiar sight against the dark sky, windows twinkling and the doors to the Entrance Hall thrown open, flooding the approaching students with golden light. Draco stood up before they had stopped, and exited the carriage with haste, taking the steps into the school two at a time.

 “Surprised he’d show his face here,” Ron mumbled sleepily, rubbing his eyes.

 “All seventh years were invited back to graduate,” Hermione said, hoping down. “I'm sure he's just coming to get his diploma.”

 “He didn't seem to care about education very much when we were in fifth year.”

 “Ron, when did you ever care about education?”

 “Alright, alright lay off ‘Mione.”

 The three made their way into the castle, quietly entering the Great Hall and making their way to the Gryffindor table. First years were already getting sorted, the Hat calling out loudly as it sent them to their respective houses. Harry looked around as they took their seats.The last time he had been in this room, he’d been looking down at the bodies of the only family he had left-

 Harry shook his head. That wasn’t true. He still had Hermione, the Weasleys, and Teddy…

 “Harry?” Hermione’s voice brought his back to reality. The last of the first years were sitting down.

 “Hmm?”

 “I asked you if you knew who the new teachers were.”

 He hadn't even looked. He glanced up to the staff table now, and saw an array of new faces. Firenze, the centaur he'd met in his first year, was sitting by Hagrid, looking thoughtfully up at the ceiling. Professor Sinistra place had been taken by a new witch, with long, dark hair. On the other side of the table, past Flitwick, were two wizards deep in discussion. And finally, at the very end was a witch with dark skin and long braided hair, with a very eerie air about her that Harry couldn't quite put his finger on.

 He turned back to Hermione and Ron. “The only one I know is Firenze, he's taking over Divination.”

 Hermione shrugged. “Guess we’ll find out tomorrow.” She picked up her fork.

 “You still taking classes for Auror training Harry?” Ron asked through a mouthful of food.

 Harry poked around with the food on his plate. “No, I don't think so. I think I, I think I wanna be..” his voice trailed off.

 “Whatcher saying Harry?” Ron dribbled potatoes.

 “IthinkIwannabeateacher!” He rushed out in one great breath.

 Hermione blinked. Ron started choking on his potatoes.

 “You what?” He spluttered.

 “I think I'd be good at it,” he shrugged, blushing. “I mean, I did a fair job with the DA. I'd like to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts.”

 “Oh Harry that's wonderful!”

 “Shhh! I wouldn't like the whole school to know if you wouldn't mind.” Some girls down the table had turned to stare at them. “We can talk about this later,” he whispered.

 Ron looked like he was going to have a heart attack. Hermione gave him a few good pats on the back, and he coughed, taking a sip of pumpkin juice. “Har-

 “Give it a rest Ronald!”

 

 When they had rebuilt Hogwarts over the summer, they had added extra rooms for the returning eighth years. Harry, Ron and Hermione climbed the stairs together and split off into their respective dormitories. Harry opened the door, and was surprised to find the form looking exactly as they had left it in sixth year, albeit the only trunks inside belonged to the two of them. Harry sat down on his four-poster and looked over to the three empty beds. Ron fell right onto the pillow and started snoring.

 It seemed strangely empty with the other three boys gone. After the war, Dean and Seamus has gotten a flat in Brushwick where they now lived together, and Neville was traveling across the world for some Herbology Research or something. He had sent Harry a postcard.

 Harry shucked his shirt and slacks and lay down, and for once, fell into blissfully dreamless sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> From the author 
> 
> First of all, thank you my cinnamon roll friend! This wouldn't be possible without you! And now you wont be the only one who gets to hear me talk about my work! I hope y'all like this story!! Much love!
> 
> There will be more chapters! I just dont know how to work this thing!


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